OUMF’s Riley Kestrel 1300 presentation at the Riley Museum’s 5th Anniversary celebrations in Coventry

On the fifth anniversary of the opening of the Riley Museum & Archive, OUMF was delighted to be invited to showcase our recently completed Riley Kestrel. Only three weeks prior to this, the Kestrel was one of the centres of attention at the 2024 National Classic Car and Restoration Show at the NEC in Birmingham, where it was far from being able to run on its own steam. The lights, doors, trim and interior were worked on throughout the show, which gained OUMF’s Kestrel a photo in the subsequent Practical Classics magazine. In this short time between events, great progress was made in

getting the car to a roadworthy state.
Just two days prior to the commute to Coventry, the Kestrel made its first proper road trip to Phillips Tyres in Cowley for an MOT check, eliciting big smiles from many drivers and pedestrians! A generous list of recommendations of further work needed on the Kestrel was received, including that the steering rack bushes were worn and should be replaced and that the engine needed proper timing and fuelling. But most importantly, the car made it back to the HQ and needed little to make it ready for exhibition in Coventry!
An early start was in order on Saturday April 13th, the day of the show, with some late work done on the Kestrel including a battery swap, and one final check over before the hour-long trip to the event. We set off to Coventry with the Kestrel being sensibly trailered due to the lack of any proper road testing after the MOT check, and we gathered at a nearby hospital car park just a few hundred metres away from the Riley Museum, to unload and drive the Kestrel into the show under its own steam. We were eager to arrive on time, so the Kestrel was swiftly unloaded and driven up to the Canal Basin, with engine flooding issues only resulting in one stop on the way! Again, we discovered pedestrians were delighted to see the Kestrel on the road, with many people waving us on to the show. 
Upon arrival, the car was very well received, and we were directed to join the extensive line up of Rileys by the canal, including other Kestrels, plus Elfs, Imps and many others models of the marque. The setting was spectacular, and the British weather held up for us too, with the warm spring sun making a rare appearance. Immediately the Kestrel drew a crowd of other Riley owners who had followed the restoration progress over the past two years in the Riley Record magazine, and were delighted to see the OUMF project finally come to fruition. There were also many people at the event who had spoken to us at the 2024 National Classic Car and Restoration Show a couple of weeks beforehand and were greatly impressed with the amount of progression in such a short time!
Most importantly, Victor Riley spent a good deal of time with us admiring the Kestrel, and was in his usual enthusiastic high spirits - particularly when we thanked him with a bottle of champagne for inviting us out to the show! Victor also wished Ding [OUMF co-ordinator] well, who unfortunately couldn’t make it to the show at the last minute - a very rare occasion. After our traditional team photo with Victor and the car, we chatted with the many other Riley enthusiasts there, which included a great conversation that Charlie Stratton [OUMF member] had with one guest in particular - which extended far beyond Rileys! - until the show drew to a close in the mid-afternoon.


The journey back was interesting and picturesque as we decided to take some pretty B roads back to Oxford. On arrival back at the HQ, following discussions with other Riley owners at the show, we decided to swap out the original thermostat housing for one from S-Can which allowed for fitment of a switch for the Davies Craig electric radiator fan. Sadly, not everything went quite as smoothly for one of our members, James Biley. Shortly after parking his Passat after the journey, he attempted to restart the car, and despite all our efforts the Passat not only failed to start again, but began to display all sorts of other strange issues with the electrics which were equally baffling. Who would have thought a 1968 Riley Kestrel would be more reliable!
We all owe a very special thanks to Victor Riley and everyone who helped make the fifth anniversary of the Riley Museum & Archive celebration happen, and for the generous invitation to what was a great day out! Once again, thanks to Phillips Tyres for MOT checking the Kestrel before its outing to the Riley Museum, and everyone who has supported this OUMF practical project. Congratulations to all the OUMF members who attended the show, and to those who were unable to but have played key roles in its impressive restoration through which so much has been learned. 

David Pain. 
Motorsport Engineering, Oxford Brookes